Explosive sheel or similar body.



F. M. HALE.

EXPLOSIVE SHELL 0R SI MILAR BODY.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-23. i914- 1,224, 163. Patented May 1, 1917.

j a 5 c Wihzesses FREDERICK MAI BI'IEN HALE, F BROMLEY, ENGLAND.

nxrLosIvr. snnrm on smILAB. BODY.

To all whom it may concern:

' required for use, without the delay and in- Be it known that I, FREDERICK MAR'rEN HALE, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain and Ireland, and a resident of Bromley, in the county of Kent, England, have 1nvented certain new and useful Improvements in or Pertaining to Explosive Shells or Sinnlar Bodies, of which the following is a specification.

The present mvention relates to shells or similar bodies '(hereinafter referred to as shells) intended to be dropped or discharged from air-craft, and of the type in which a detonator is, before the discharge .of the Specification of Letters Patent.

shellarranged in a rear portion of the shell,

and is adapted, when the shell has traveled a predetermined distance through the air, to

'be released so as to be free to be, by the impact of the shell, moved forward in relation to the body of the shell and. into con" tact with a fixed firing element.

In orderv that greater safety of storage and transport may be'insured it is advisable that the detonator should be placed into position only just before the shell is to' be discharged from the air-craft. Now this invention, which consists in the various features set out in the claims hereinafter contained, has for object the provision of shells of the aforesaid type having a construction such that the detonator can be very easily placed into position immediately before the shell is convenience occasioned by disassembling the detonator-releasing mechanism.

The invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, of which Figure 1 shows in longitudinal section the rear portion of an example of a shell of the aforesaid type constructed in accordance with the invena tion, Fig. 2 shows in'elevation the detachable detac ed from the shell for the purpose of securing the detonator thereto, and Fig.3

shows in elevation the detonator and the detonator-holder. Figs. 4 and 5;and Figs. 6

and 7 illustrate respectively two methods of securing the detonator to. the detonatorholde-r alternative to. that illustrated by Figs.

115117 of the tail portion'of the shell when.

1 to 3, Figs. 4 and .6 being longitudinal sec tional views of the detonators and detonator-holders shown in elevation-in Figs. 5 and v 7 respectively:

shell has traveled a predetermined distance '1 In the shell illustrated by Fig. 1 the mechanism for releasing the detonator after the Patented May 1, 191'7.

Application filed December 23, 1914. Serial No. 878,829.

reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings 1 thereof, but it will be obvious that any other suitable mechanism may be used for the same .purpose if desired.

For the purpose of describing the present invention it will therefore be sufficient to state that inorder to release the detonator 3, the releasing spindle 6'is withdrawn into a position in which it does not support the balls 4, 4, in positions in which they project through .holes in the detonator-holder f into recesses in the wall of the part b of the tail portion of the shell.

The tail portion of the shell comprises two' parts, a and b, of which a is normally secured to the body of the shell and has mounted therein the tube containing the detonator spring 7 and the firing" pin 8. The part b has vmounted therein. the detonator-releasing mechanism and normally the detonatorholder 7, and is adapted to be secured to the part b by means of the nut c. For this pur pose the part b is adapted to fit into the part a and is' provided with a shoulder e, which forms an abutment for a corresponding I detach the part b from the part a (Fig. 2),

to attach the detonator 3 to the detonatorholder f, and to secure thepart. I) again to the. part a by screwing down the nut 0. Y In the-example shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the detonator-holder is formed with an annular protuberance g' and the end-of the detonator. 3 is split to 01m spring members h which are provided internallyv with projections at their ends. In order to attach the detonator '3 to the holder .7 it is necessary only to press the detonator on the holder until the projections'on the spring members engage behind the protuberance g on the detonator-holder. Y

According .to the method of attaching the detonator to the detonator-holder illustrated by Figs. 4 and 5' the end of the detonator 3 is so shaped as to engage with the detonatorholder f in the manner of a dove-tail joint.

According to the method illustrated I Figs. 6 and 7 the detonator-holder f is provided with an annular screw-threaded projection l and the detonator 3 is split at one end to form spring members h which are provided internally with projections screw threaded to correspond to the thread on the detonator-holder. The relative dimensions of the detonator and of the detonator-holder vare such that when the detonator is screwed lateral movement of the detonator, or of the spring members thereof, in vrelation to the detonator-holder is required in order to de tach the detonator from its holder, and therefore in order to prevent the possibility of the occurrence of such detachment when the detonator has been placed in position in the shell, the bore of the part aof the tail portion of the shell is such as to prevent lateral movement of the detonator, or of the spring members thereof, suflicient to detachthe detonator. from the detonator-holder.

It will be obvious that methods for attaching the detonator to the detonator-holder other than those hereinbefore specifically described with reference to the drawings may be employed without departing from the scope ofthe invention.

from and connection to What'I claim is I 1. 'A shell adapted for discharge from aircraft andcomprising a body portion, a tail portion adapted for ready disconnection I said body portion, a fixedfirin'g element located in and secured to '45 said body portion, a detonator adapted to be fired by impact thereof against said fixed firmg element, and mechanism carried by said tail portionjand removable therewithfrom said-body portion and in connection with said detonator and adapted, when the shell has traveled a predetermined distance,

through the air, to free said'detonator to be moved forward in relation to said body. portion and into contact with said fixed firing element by the impact-of said shell, said detonator and said mechanism being, adapted for ready connection together and the connection of said tail portion to said body portion being adapted to allow of said ready connection of said-detonator with said mechanism on the disconnection of said tail portion from said body portion without the disassembling ,of said mechanism.

craft andcomprising a body portioma tail portion adapted for ready disconnection from and conne'ctionjto said body portion, a fixed firing element located in and-secured to said body portion, a detonator adapted to and thereby caused, when the shell has'traveled a predetermined distance throughthe air,to free said detonator to be moved forward in" relation to said body portion and into contact with said fixed firing element by the impact of said shell, said detonatorand said spindle being adapted for readyconnection together and the connection of said tail portion to said body portion being adapt ed to allow of said ready connec'tionof said detonator with said spindle on the discon-- nection of said tail portion from said bodyportion without the disassembling of said mechanism. V

3, A shell adapted for discharge from aircraft and comprising a body portion, a tail portion adapted for ready disconnection from and connection to said body portion,

a fixed firing element located in and secured 1 to said body portion, a detonator holder, a detonator adapted to be fired by impact thereof against said fixed firing element and adapted for ready engagement with said detonator holder, and mechanism carried byand iremovable with said tail portion and including a spindle engaging said detonator holder and adapted to be rotated by a vane device and thereby caused, when the shell has traveled a predetermined distance through the air, to free said holder'to enable said detonator to be moved forward in relation Itosaid body portion and into contactwith-said fixed firing element by the impactof said shell, the connection of said tail portionvto said body portion being adapted to allow of said ready engagement of said detonator vvwith said holder on the disconnection of said tail portion from said body portion without the disassembling of said mechanism.

4; A shell adapted for discharge from .air-craftandcomprising'a body portion, a

forward'tail portion secured to said body portion, a rear tail portion adapted to be readily disconnected from and connected to sa'idforward tail portion, a detonator located within said forward tail' portion, a detonator-holder detachably engaging said detonator, a fixed firing element, and mechanism carried by and-removable with said rear tail portion and engaging said detonator-holder and adapted, when thetshell has traveled a predetermined distance through the air, to I 1 -free said holder to enable said detonator to 2. Afshell adapted for discharge from air,

' ing element by the impact'of theshell.

5. A shell adapted for discharge from air craft and comprising a body portion, a tail portion adapted to be readily disconnected from and connected to said bodyportion, a movable firing element, a holder detachably engaging said movable firing element, a fixed firing element, and mechanism carried by and removable with said tail portion and engaging said holder and adapted when the shell has traveled a predetermined distance through the air to free said holder to enable said movable firing element to be moved forward in relation to said body portionand into contact with said fixed firing element by the impact of the shell.

6. A shell adapted for discharge from aircraft and comprising a body portion, a tail portion adapted to be readily disconnected from and connected to said body portion,

a detonator, a detonator-holder detachably engaging said detonator, the engagement between said holder and said detonator being such as to require lateral movement for their disengagement, a fixed firing element, and mechanism carried by and removable with said tail portion and engaging said detonator-holder and adapted, when the shell formed as, when said detonator and said the engagement between said holder and said movable firing element being such as to require lateral movement for their disengagement, a fixed firing element, and mechanism carried by and removable with said tail portion and engaging said holder and adapted, when the shell has traveled a predetermined distance through the air, to free said holder to enable said movable firing element to be moved forward in relation to said body portion and into contact with said fixed firing element by the impact of the shell, the portion of the shell containing said movable firing element and said holder being so formed as, when said movable firing element and said holder are located therein, to prevent said lateral movement necessary for the disengagement of said movable firing element from said holder.

Signed at London, England, this 4th day of December, 1914.

FREDERICK MARTEN HALE.

Witnesses:

P. E. MATTOCKS. WM. O. BROWN. 

